2002 Sequoia break control conection question?

[jtp7571]

Has anyone conected a brake control to a 2002 Sequoia or know how it is done? It seems like this information in the search. I have looked hi and low and the only thing that I have found other than for the 03's and newer is a part # that I think is just for the trailer hook up and not the break control.

I am newbie to the form so I would like to say Hi to all and thanks in advance.

John

[DCTUNDRA]

What type of trailer plug do you have: 4-wire flat or 7-wire round. If you have a 4-wire flat connector, chances are your vehicle is not ready for a brake controller. If you have a 7-wire, then there should be a pigtail without a connector attached somewhere around where your left foot rests while driving. It could be taped up above or behind the kick panel. If you have the 4-wire plug then a controller harness can be fabricated or possibly purchased. You might want to check Tekonsha's website or the etrailer website. Anything is possible it is just a matter of time and money. When you have the 7-wire plug on the back of your vehicle, Tekonsha or etrailer will sell you the matching pigtail to fit your vehicle, sometimes the controller and pigtail can be bought to be "plug and play", making it a very simple proposition. At the other end of the spectrum, you could go to Toyota and buy the harness with relays and fuses (assuming you are NOT prewired for brakes) and have them install it; then you would buy a controller and wire it up to the new "dealer installed" harness. In between these two extremes, you could go to a good "hitch shop" and they would wire you all up and sell you a nice Prodigy brake controller for around $200.

[jtp7571]

Well it is a 4 wire, thats for sure. I went to the Dealer today and they gave me the wiring diagram but they could not find any thing to put on it. The horse trailer is a 7 wire. I know that I am going to have to switch it out and from what I gather I need a blue wire put in for the brake control. As for the plug-n-play pig tail there seems that there is no such thing. I now think that I am going to have to make one so if any one know how and where I do this Please, Please help me. I am being over run with the request from my girls to get this thing on the road.
John

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by jtp7571

Well it is a 4 wire, thats for sure. I went to the Dealer today and they gave me the wiring diagram but they could not find any thing to put on it. The horse trailer is a 7 wire. I know that I am going to have to switch it out and from what I gather I need a blue wire put in for the brake control. As for the plug-n-play pig tail there seems that there is no such thing. I now think that I am going to have to make one so if any one know how and where I do this Please, Please help me. I am being over run with the request from my girls to get this thing on the road.
John

Your challenge (or problem) is that Toyota did not start providing connectivity for a trailer brake controller in the towing package until the 2003 model year. The '03s were the first to have both the 7 pin connector and underdash plug for a brake controller (where the plug-n-play pigtail connects to the truck).

'02s and older did not have any brake controller interface...that's why the towing package on those models only included a basic trailer lighting (4 pin) hookup. That means you simply can't use the plug-n-play hookups for the '03s and newer.

So that means you do indeed have to run all the brake controller wiring yourself...or pay a quality hitch shop to do it for you. If you dig really deep in the old, old posts (2000 to 2002 timeframe), you might find some guidance on how to do the wiring yourself. It's really not too hard...you basically have to run a fused 12 ga wire from the battery to the controller. You also have to run a very good ground to the controller. You also have to run a wire from the brake switch (on the brake pedal) to the controller. And then finally you have to run a 12 ga wire from the controller all the way back to the hitch area (typically this is done with a blue colored wire). When you get that blue wire to the hitch area you need integrate it with the 4 pin lighting wiring...to do this you can buy a special 4 to 7 pin adaptor that plugs into the existing 4 pin connector for the lighting and provides separate pigtails for (1) the brake wiring, (2) a 12 V power wire (used for recharging the trailer battery on travel trailers), and (3) a trailer backup light wire. For your purposes, you only need to connect the pigtail for the trailer brakes.

[DCTUNDRA]

Ray gave you the basic information. If you are comfortable, then by all means go ahead and DIY. I seem to remember one of the trailer places selling a generic kit that had everything you need to add a brake controller harness. A circuit breaker is bolted onto the (+) battery lug and supplies the main source of braking current. The rest of the wires are smaller gage and are color matched to the controller wiring scheme. I don't know if etrailer had it or not, did you check out the websites for Tekonsha and etrailer? Since you probably have to buy a controller anyway, see what a good hitch shop in the area would charge. The difference between you buying everything and doing it yourself, and what a shop would charge, may not be all that much. I'd be surprised if there was $75 difference. If that sounds like a lot, then get hopping on those websites and checking ebay out for a buy-it-now price on a Prodigy controller and etrailer, croft trailer sales, or champion trailer for a generic harness. Those other sites might be able to match or beat the best price you can find on ebay for the controller as well.

[jtp7571]

You guys are a great help! I have seen this and I would like to hear what you think would be of use: Brake Control Wiring Kits

The guy that sold me the trailer use to work at a trailer place and was the go to guy when it came to wiring up trucks so I am going to give him a call tomarrow and ask him if he would help me install it. but I would like to have eveything that is going to be required for it.

All input is appreciated and I thank you for your time.
John

[DCTUNDRA]

Here is a link for an 4 to 7-way adapter like Ray was talking about
Adapter 4 Pole to 7 Pole 30717 : Trailer hitch bike rack and trailer hitches - etrailer.com
the price looks a little better for the wiring harness from hitches online, but then you have to pay 2 shipping charges. Probably easiest (and perhaps cheapest) to get everything from a single vendor.

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by jtp7571

You guys are a great help! I have seen this and I would like to hear what you think would be of use: Brake Control Wiring Kits

John

Short Answer: Useless.

Long Answer: Useless because these kits all need to plug into an OEM wiring harness connector for brake controllers. Your '02 simply doesn't have an OEM wiring harness plug for a controller.

DCTUNDRA is offering excellent advice...I strongly recommend you take his suggestions or pay the go-to-guy that sold you the trailer to do it for you.

[jtp7571]

Could I get a picture of the brake light switch so that I can identify where to conect the wire from the brake control?